Decode
by khaleesimaka
Summary: There are so many secrets being kept in the city of Elmhurst, and the biggest one is what exactly lives in the forest that surrounds the small city. That is until Maka decides she's tired of abiding by the rules and listening to her father, so allows her curiosity to take over to explore the forest. But what she finds brings more secrets than answers.
1. Starts With One

**A/N**: This is loosely based on my short story called 'Into the Unknown' for my SoulxMaka oneshots. There are some similarities, but it isn't going the same direction as that one was meant to go. This is more of a mixture of The Village meets Warm Bodies meets Divergent (not including that event in Allegiant that was highly unnecessary). I do not own Soul Eater. Enjoy! Reviews are always welcome.

**Starts with One**

The city of Elmhurst was peaceful, the perfect place to raise a family without worrying if they would join a gang or get into trouble with the law because those events never happened here. Under rule #33 of Elmhurst, it clearly states that if you go against an authority figure or anyone who is of high standing within the community, you will face immediate punishment. Even with that threat it never did stop some people from acting out, but after a week in what her Papa called the "rehabilitation room" they were set straight. Maka had never experienced that form of punishment since her father was the second in command of the government, next to Shinigami, so she was always aware from a young age that she never wanted to be placed in there.

That still didn't stop her from wondering what was beyond the forest border which was why she had opted to start training at the age of 16 for the special guard unit that patrolled that area. For as long as she could remember, she was always told that the forest was a dangerous place. In fact it was the first rule of Elmhurst, anyone who enters the forest is doing so on their own accord and will not be offered help from the guard unit if they are in peril. Anytime she asked what the creatures looked like, she was always given an excuse why she couldn't be told, but it wasn't until she started her training that she found out what was lurking in those woods. Of course, she was never allowed to enter them, even during training, but they were informed nonetheless. On the first day of training, it was revealed that a tribe of horrible, merciless monsters lived in those forests. They survived on not only the animals that roamed the forest, but also on human flesh and will not hesitate to attack anyone who goes in.

Maka had lost not only her mother, who was a part of the guard unit, but also her childhood friend, Tsubaki, to these horrible creatures that lived in the forest. She remembered the day her father came home to tell her the unfortunate news for both her mother and Tsubaki. When she was eight, her mother had, against everything she was told during training, chose to enter the forest to help an innocent person who had ventured in out of curiosity. It was this event that ultimately took her mother's life. Maka had cried for days, wishing to seek her revenge, but it only rose when the next victim close to her was Tsubaki.

She remembered that day as if it happened yesterday. Maka was twelve and Tsu was three years older than her, but they had a mutual friend which is how they're friendship had started. Tsu and Maka always talked about how they were going to join the training for the special guard unit when they became of age, excited to help their fellow citizens in the future, it was a dream that they both shared. Tsu's death happened two days before her 16th birthday, on the same day that she was acting stranger than usual, even based on what Maka classified as strange having a friend like Black*Star. When she and Maka had met for lunch, she was more standoffish and seemed to be somewhere else when they talked compared to how she usually was, more animated and interactive in their conversations. It wasn't until that night, when Maka's Papa woke her up past midnight, that she realized why Tsu was acting strange that day. Tsubaki had decided to venture into the forest where she met the same demise as Maka's mother had years earlier. The tragic event is what sparked Maka's desire to join the guard unit so she could be sure that no more unnecessary deaths occurred.

"Maka, I don't want you joining the forest patrol unit. You should know better than anyone how dangerous it is! How about the city patrol unit? That's a safer bet for you." Maka's father, Spirit Albarn, had started the same argument for the third time this week, and honestly she was tired of it.

"I told you why. I want to be able to help the citizens in the best way possible, and I believe that I can do that by patrolling the forest border rather than the city patrol. We've been going over this for the last two years, and it always ends up the same." Maka had just turned eighteen, and after training for the last two years, taking mediocre jobs, she was ready to put her application in for what she had been working hard for those past two years. "I'm _not_ going to change my mind!"

"I can put a stop to this, and if you don't listen to me then I will." Spirit sternly told her, shaking his finger in what he hoped was a menacing way.

"And if you do that, I will move out of this house! I'm eighteen now, Papa. I'm not a child anymore. It's time for me to do my part for Elmhurst, and I've wanted this since Mama's death! Black*Star is already working for the special guard unit, so why can't I?"

"Because you're my baby girl! I don't want anything bad to happen to you!"

"You can't protect me for the rest of my life! I need to go out and make my own decisions, learn from _my_ mistakes, instead of going by what you tell me! No, I don't care that you're second in command." Spirit had opened his mouth to interject with the same excuse he used for every argument. "I need to have my own experiences, and the only way I'll have them is if I join the patrol unit. You know I'm one of the best, if not _the_ best, in my training unit, I know Stein has bragged to you about me."

"I know that, you know I know that, but that doesn't stop me from worrying about you." Spirit reached out to pull his daughter into a hug. "I'm just afraid of losing you like we lost your mother."

"You have to trust me, Papa. I'm a stronger fighter than Mama was, even Stein has commented on that. I can handle whatever is in the forest."

Spirit pulled his daughter away from him, hands still on her shoulders, to give her one of those parent stares before telling their child something very serious. "I will allow you to join the guard unit, but under no circumstance will you ever enter that forest. You must promise me that you will never, ever go into that forest, okay?"

"I promise, but I know if I ever do have to enter, I can handle the monsters that live there." They would most likely continue arguing about this even when she did join the guard unit, but for now it was settled.

That night, Maka stayed up longer than she should have wondering what was in the forest that made her father look that terrified. She was sure he had seen far worse in his line of work since he was the one who did the "dirty" work of Governor Shinigami. She was fully aware that he was the one who put the punishments into play when they occurred. She knew the patrol unit was a dangerous job, but could it really be that dangerous? They had increased how they did their training for new recruits in the past ten years to ensure that people were able to properly defend themselves if the time called for it. Hell, she had been working with guns and weapons for two years now, and those were forbidden for any common citizen to have or work with. She knew how to defend herself, Maka was the top student in her class, and was positive she could handle anything, especially after growing up with Black*Star and being in the same training class as him.

She got out of bed and walked over to her wardrobe that was situated against the opposite wall, and looked at her reflection in the mirror. For someone who was eighteen, she still looked like a wimpy little twelve year-old, but she knew that wasn't true. She had muscle that wasn't there two years ago thanks to her extensive training, and there were scars on her knuckles from fighting as well as a scar on her cheek from when she fought against Kim a few weeks ago. She wasn't the same little Maka that she knew from before, she had changed, she was positive about that. She was going to show her Papa that she could handle herself.

Maka changed out of her pajamas and into her training outfit since it was the perfect thing to wear for her mission. In her black pants, and tank top, she grabbed the matching jacket from where it laid on the edge of her bed, and put on the black combat boots that were thrown under her bed. Maka tied her loose blonde hair into a high ponytail, and grabbed the training rifle she was given her first day before entering the hallway. Her curiosity was finally getting the better of her. She was going to venture into that forest, just so she could see what the big deal about it was. Before leaving the house, she stopped by her father's room to make sure he was sound asleep, and when she heard his steady breathing she exited their home. Maka knew the path she would have to take if she wanted to enter the forest undetected by the guards. They should be in the middle of changing shifts so no one would see her entering.

Her journey through Elmhurst was a quiet one compared to if she was doing this during the day, seeing as rule #7 strictly stated that no one is to leave their home after curfew, which was eight sharp, this wasn't that much of a surprise. Honestly, if it wasn't her job to make sure the people around her abide by the rules, she would declare that they were idiotic and unnecessary, but in her profession she would most likely get her tongue cut out if she did that. The rules were there for a reason, but it just all seemed problematic to her. She did try to abide by them the best she could, but she couldn't help to feel that she had to fight against them. Sometimes her rebellious side would get the better of her making her really want to go against the governor and her father, but her more law-abiding side kept her from doing so.

Never mind that she was breaking probably half of them right now, she just needed to show that she can handle what's in that forest. Not only for her but also for her father. He had been on her case about patrolling the forest since she had joined the training squad two years ago, always starting a fight about what he believed she should do. Why couldn't he just understand that wasn't what she wanted? She didn't want to be stuck picking up trash and punishing the citizens when they stepped out of line, she had an urge to protect them against any threats and the forest was the biggest one against them. There was nowhere else she would rather work than there.

When she reached the alley between the two buildings that would lead to her opening for entering the forest, she stopped at the edge to make sure no one was around to catch her. Seeing that the coast was clear, she made her break for the forest, making sure she was properly covered by the trees so none of the guards would see her before she stopped. Maka looked around at her surroundings, and it was then that she wished she had a flashlight with her. The forest was pitch dark, she could barely see her hand in front of her face, even though there was a full moon, and the trees blocked a majority of the light from entering. Her heart rate started to increase a little, fear slowly creeping up on her. Maybe this wasn't a good idea. If there was anything in here, it would be accustomed to the dark better than her, ensuring that her death would be a quick one.

Nevertheless, Maka urged herself to continue on. She couldn't let a petty thing like fear and worry keep her from finishing what she had originally intended to do. Besides, the forest was so thick it blocked out the noise of Elmhurst allowing her to hear every single thing that moved. If a creature did try to kill her, she would hear it before she saw it, and would hopefully prove her quick movements had the upper hand in a situation like that. She continued on her journey through the forest, marveling at the wondrous noises that she heard around her. Living in Elmhurst, she rarely ever had the chance to listen to the sounds that occurred at night. She listened as the various animals in the forest communicated with each, wondering what could possibly live here that was so scary. Then, out of nowhere, she received the answer to her question without really wanting it.

"What are you doing here?" a male voice came from behind her. Maka was frozen in the spot she was standing in, readying herself for the owner of that voice to make his attack. She hadn't heard his footsteps before, but now that he was closer she heard him walking up to her. There was no time for her to plan her attack. If she was going to do anything, she would have to do it now, but her instinct was telling her that it was okay. This didn't stop the fear that she had swallowed before from making its presence again with each step that the stranger took behind her. Maka was sure now. It was a very bad idea to come in the forest at night especially without telling anyone and being too far from the city, no one would hear her screams for help.


	2. Masks

**A/N:** because I have a tendency of doing it in my oneshots, I just want to say that neither Maka nor Soul will be killed off in this story.

**Masks**

"I'll ask again, what are you doing here?" his warm breath tickled the small hairs on her neck. She had two choices, either shoot him or bravely face him. Every muscle in her body was screaming for her to grab the rifle strapped around her shoulders, but her mind resisted. She was always told that the creatures in the forest attacked without warning, never giving their enemies time to react, but here she was still alive.

Maka turned around to face the unknown person. She let out an audible gasp when she saw his strange features, even in the darkness and the small light from the moon she could tell they weren't normal. She had never seen someone who had white hair yet still looked young, or someone who's natural eye color was red. "I just came to find out the truth."

The stranger looked over her before answering. "It's dangerous for you to be here. You need to go back to your town." He looked around to make sure they were still alone before speaking to her again. "If you follow me I'll take you back."

He turned to walk a couple feet in front of her, pulling down a spider web in his path, before looking back. "Are you coming?" Maka was hesitant to follow him. She didn't really know this stranger, he hadn't even told her his name. However something was telling her that this person was safe. Maka nodded before taking a step toward him. She observed his movements, noticing he was very standoffish with his hands in his pockets and avoided eye contact with her. Maka had never seen him in Elmhurst, positive he would stand out with his peculiar features, however he did remind her of someone…

"So…um…what's your name?" he gave her a sideways glance, trying to break the silence between them.

"Maka Albarn." She noticed the hint of recognition he made when she said her last name, but chose to ignore it. With her father being the second in command, it never surprised her when others recognized it or treated her differently because of it. "What's your name? If you don't mind me asking."

He glared at her as she walked next to him. "I'm Soul Ev—Eater. My name is Soul Eater."

"That's an interesting name. Is it a nickname your friends call you?"

He grinned like she had said something funny, and Maka noticed that his teeth were pearly white and uncommonly sharp. "I don't have friends. It's just a name I prefer to go by."

Her eyes bulged when she heard this. "You don't have _any_ friends?"

"I did have one friend, but then things changed and I haven't spoken to them in years. I don't even really remember what they looked like."

Maka watched the forest floor as she continued on before responding again. "Then how about I be your friend?"

Soul stopped in his tracks and looked at her confused. "You wanna be friends with me? Why?" Maka stood a couple feet in front of him, giving him a small smile and shrugging.

"You look like a nice person and I'd like to get to know you better." he still looked confused with her answer so she continued. "Besides, from what I've been told about this forest, I had expected you would have killed me by now, but you haven't. I think that means you're different."

His expression changed back to the unreadable stony one he held before. "I take it you're a very trusting person."

"I've been told I'm good with reading people and understanding their true personalities."

Soul just smirked, placing his hands back in his pockets and started walking again. "You shouldn't be that trusting of someone you just met. Come to think about it, why are you even following me? I could be leading you to your death."

"Well, I figured you would have done that by now, and a person wouldn't want to know a person's name if they are going to kill them." Maka quickened her pace so she was walking next to him. "So can you tell me if there really are other creatures here? One's that don't look human."

"You think I look human?"

"Umm, yea. I mean you're different sure, but you aren't any less human…" She could feel that he was still guarding himself from her, even after being nice to him.

"Let's just say you're not entirely wrong about there being some kind of creature in this forest."

"Is that why you told me the forest is dangerous?" He nodded. "Can you tell me what they look like?"

Soul looked at her, contemplating what to tell her without scaring her. "They look more like animals rather than human. If you saw one, you would be able to tell, but you won't be around for long because they do kill fast. At least, when they don't feel like _playing_ with their food."

Maka responded with a shudder that was followed by silence, the crunching of leaves being the only sound that met her ears. That was when she realized that the animals she heard before had disappeared. She stopped walking to look around them to make sure she wasn't imagining things. "Where exactly _are_ you taking me? I don't remember coming in from this part."

Soul only half turned, with the same lazy look as before. "It's the same path you took, trust me."

"What happened to the animals then?"

"Let's just say they don't like being out this late." He rubbed the back of his neck and avoided her eyes when he answered. She could tell he was hiding something from her.

"Does it have anything to do with those creatures?" He nodded. Then comprehension of what he had said hit her. "Wait, were you following me?"

"People don't usually come in here especially at night, and when they do they don't act like they're running away from something. You looked a little suspicious to me, so I wanted to see where you were going."

"Now you really sound like the type of person my Papa warned me about. Following a girl without her knowledge in a dark scary forest and not letting her know until you decide to scare her, doesn't that sound a little abnormal to you?" Maka crossed her arms and raised her eyebrows at him.

Soul rubbed his neck and dropped his façade with a small smile. "You are a smart one, aren't you?" Maka just returned his smile. "I wasn't going to do anything to you, promise. I'm just leading you to where you can go back to Elmhurst. Which isn't that far from here."

Maka looked at him for a while longer, before deciding he was safe. She had followed him this far and nothing happened, and he did follow her without doing something. There was also something about him that she couldn't quite point her finger on. "So if I come in here tomorrow, will you be here?"

They had reached the edge of the forest, and she turned a little to see his reaction. Soul was surprised by her question, apparent by the look he gave her, but his face contorted back to being emotionless. "I might be." She smiled before leaving the forest, making sure none of the guards were passing by before making the journey back to her home.

The next day, Maka went to the Justice Building so she could turn in her request forms for a job transfer. The building stood in the middle of town, the ivory coloring standing out by the darker buildings that surrounded it. Inside, the small reception room, the walls and floors were blindingly bright with fluorescent lighting, and a single desk sat in the middle with two doors behind it.

"Good morning, Maka. How can I help you today?" Marie greeted her from her position behind the desk.

"I just came to turn in my transfer work." Maka returned her smile and handed over the papers that she was holding. Marie looked them over, making sure she had filled out everything on the forms before smiling back up at Maka.

"You want to work for the special guard unit?" Maka nodded her head enthusiastically. "Your mother would be so proud of you. She was one of the best guards we ever had, and Stein has told me that you're the top in your class. I'm sure you'll do great." She handed Maka a paper proving that she put in the request. "You'll hear back from Shinigami sometime in the next two days. Don't worry, though, I'm sure the transfer will be accepted." Marie smiled and winked at her.

"Thank you, Miss Marie." Maka returned her smile and left the building. She couldn't help feel a little proud after hearing about her mother. That was one of the bigger reasons she wanted to join the special unit. She had always wanted to be as great as her mother, even better than her mother. This was something she had been looking forward to for years, and nothing was going to stop her from making her dreams come true.

Maka's current job was what she considered to be the more mediocre ones, any person could do it. She was required to roam the streets all day, making sure the citizens did what they were supposed to, and send those who disobeyed the rules to her father where their punishment would be determined. It didn't hold the challenge that Maka craved for which was why she had wanted the transfer. Of course she liked working where she was, seeing everyone in her little city going about their daily business, but it didn't really make her truly happy.

As she did her rounds, Maka's thoughts strayed back to her encounter in the forest last night. When she returned home, she didn't dare let her father know that she had gone into the forest without telling anyone because he would have been beyond pissed. Even so she still couldn't help to feel a little happy that she had actually done something others have tried and failed, only for her to survive. There was something about Soul that made her want to get to know him better. She didn't really know much about him except that he was different compared to the other people in Elmhurst, and that he didn't live here since he stayed in the forest instead of following her the night before.

Sitting down on the curb of the street, Maka thought more about Soul. If he wasn't from Elmhurst then where was he from? It seemed like he knew the forest pretty well and that he had been there more often rather than just that one time…there had to be an explanation for it. She couldn't ask any of the officials about it because that would mean she'd have to admit to entering the forest. The only person she could ask was him, but he seemed to distance himself from her no matter how hard she tried to show him that he could trust her. If she wanted answers, she would have to earn his trust first.

Maka looked up to see three kids playing in the alley across from her. She smiled at them, remembering when she used to do the same thing with Black*Star and one of the other neighborhood kids before they were exposed to the harsh real world. The three children ran across the alley, and one of the little girls fell down, putting her hand out to catch herself. Maka could have sworn she saw sparks come from her hand, but just ignored the thought. That was absurd. Sparks? Coming out of someone's hand? That was just unheard of and abnormal. Nothing like that ever happened in Elmhurst.


	3. Vox Populi

**A/N: Thank you for the reviews. I promise there will be SoMa moments, but I need to get them to that point first. ****I hope you enjoy this chapter, though.**

**Vox Populi**

Maka continued sneaking into the forest every night for a week. She met Soul each time in what they had designated as their special spot. He was slowly starting to open up to her, but there were still certain aspects of his life he kept secret, like where he came from or his family was. Each time either subject came up, he would look away from her, a hint of resent, before changing the conversation. Even so, their relationship was slowly starting to grow stronger. Maka felt like she had known Soul for years instead of just one week. He was actually laughing and smiling more with each of their visits, and would always initiate in conversation when he saw her.

Not once did she encounter one of the creatures that he had confirmed lived in the forest. When she enquired about it, he would tell her that it was because they stayed close to the edge, and the creatures didn't want to get that close to civilization. He had an answer to all of her questions, like he had rehearsed beforehand and studied it thoroughly so that he wouldn't be stumped. The only problem was that he didn't seem like the studious type, more like the lazy slacker type. Even so, he continued to impress her with how quickly he was able to answer every question she had that pertained to what was beyond Elmhurst.

In Elmhurst, everything was going as Maka had planned it. No one ever found out about her night time endeavors, which was surprising since she was tired during the day from lack of sleep, and she was approved for the job transfer she requested. When Shinigami called her to come into his office to inform her that the request was approved, he asked if she preferred to work the day or night shift. Since Maka didn't want to change when she met Soul, she opted for the day shift. She was still proud of herself either way and actually happy with her job because now she felt like there was an actual purpose to her life. That is, until there was another incident.

A week after her visits into the forest became a nightly event, there was another murder. This time it was twins, Adish and Seaiqa. Maka remembered seeing the twins around town, they never left each other's side, only keeping to themselves. She didn't really know them that well, except that they were fraternal twins who were close to their cousin Kilik, a boy from the same training class as Maka. She had to admit she did feel guilty about the deaths even though she wasn't on duty at the time. There might have been the chance she could have prevented it from happening due to her possibly already being in the forest when it occurred. Although, the chances were slim, she didn't know for sure when Adish and Seaiqa had entered the forest. With them being the youngest victims since the murders had begun years ago, a majority of the citizens gathered in front of the town hall and were outraged that nothing was being done in light of the event.

"This should not have happened, Shinigami!" one of the citizens yelled. Maka stopped to listen to what the crowd had to say when she finished her shift and was on her way back home. The citizens were allowed to gather like this, as long as it was under control and they didn't resort to violence.

"We need better protection around the town! The guards aren't good enough!"

"They allowed this to happen! Put up an electric fence or something!"

"The victims were so young! What do you have to say about that, Shinigami?"

"At this time, we are working out a plan to improve the protection so this doesn't happen again." The governor stood at a podium that was placed so he could address the crowd's concerns. He was a tall man, with a long face. that had learned long ago how to control his facial expressions. Maka had always found it hard to read how he truly felt about something, and today was no different. He didn't show any remorse for the victims, especially since they were so young.

"And what exactly are your plans?" the town reported asked.

"That is confidential at this time. Once we have made a decision, we will let the rest of Elmhurst know."

"Who is exactly making these plans, again?"

"That is also confidential. The committee member's identities are kept secret so that no outside source can influence their decision."

"Have you considered placing a fence around the perimeter of the forest?"

"We do not currently have the correct equipment for that type of protection. Our safest bet is to put our trust in the guards, that they will prevent this from happening again."

"That's what you said when the Evans boy met the same fate nine years ago." The reporter mumbled loud enough for everyone to hear. "These deaths are completely unnecessary. We need to educate our youth. At this rate, Elmhurst's future will be nonexistent. What are your plans in educating them?"

"The only plans we have for that is to continue informing the youth of the dangers that exist in the forest, and hope they will stay away from it. There isn't much else we can do about that." Marie stood forward to whisper something in Shinigami's ear before stepping back. "I'm sorry but that's all the time I have for questions today. There will be an announcement when you may come to inquire about the matter again. Have a good day."

The crowd started crying in protest as Shinigami left to return to his office that was in the building behind him. The street guards had to step in to control the crowd before they resorted to violence and defied the governor. Maka looked around at the crowd one more time, to see if anyone she knew was there, and she noticed that no one in Adish and Seaiqa's family was there.

When Maka returned home, her father was already there, sitting in the kitchen at the small table in the middle, since it was his day off. As she stood in the archway, watching Spirit, she noticed that he looked more solemn about this death than he had in the past. She had never seen him this way, actually showing remorse, especially when he had to enforce the gruesome punishments. Maka walked over to him, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder causing Sprit to jump in his seat.

"Maka! You scared me. I didn't hear you come in." Spirit stood up to dump the contents of his mug and proceeded to wash it.

She sat down at the table, biting her bottom lip, watching as Spirit went about his business. "Papa, can I ask you something?"

"Mmhm…what's wrong." Spirit finished washing the cup, but kept his back to her.

"I was just wondering….well I passed by the town hall today and Shinigami spoke about the twin's death last night…" Maka paused to study Spirit's body language. He stiffened a little, but nothing else changed. "Why is there no other protection around the forest other than the guards?"

"I'm sure he said this too, but right now we just don't have the right equipment for anything more than the guards. We need to trust them with doing their job, which is now your job. So, if you want to prevent others from entering the forest, then you need to do it."

Maka fiddled with the edge of the cloth that was draped over the table, trying to keep her hands busy. "But if we don't educate the younger citizens about the dangers in there, how do we expect them to not be curious? That's probably why there have been so many deaths."

"This isn't up for discussion right now."

"Why not? Shouldn't it be the government's job to do something? Isn't that why you're the second in command?"

"It should also be the parents' job. If they don't educate their children then-"

"But how do you expect the parents to do anything about it if they don't even know what's in there?" This was a conversation Maka had waited years to have with Spirit, since Tsubaki's death. "All I have ever heard about the forest is that there is some kind of deranged creature that lives in there, but I've never even seen it so how can I even know if it's true or not? They didn't even elaborate on it when I was going through my training. Papa, you have to know something about it."

"There are some things that need to be kept from the rest of Elmhurst and that includes you. I'm not saying anything further on the subject"

"But aren't you supposed to have the safety of Elmhurst in mind first? We need to know why we are supposed to keep out of the forest."

"I do have the cities safety in mind, which is why I perform the more gruesome punishments. We've gone over this before. There is no need for this conversation again." Spirit turned around to sternly look at his daughter. He was going to end this here, but Maka wasn't ready to drop the subject yet. She wanted answers after being in the forest for a week and only seeing one other person there, who hasn't even shown any aggression toward her. But how was she going to do this without admitting her nighttime activities?

"Papa, please just listen to me. I've lost one of my best friends to that forest and it's because neither one of us knew the dangers thoroughly. We need to educate the city more so it doesn't happen again. Please, I don't want to lose another friend." Spirit looked away from Maka when she said the last part and noticed his Adam's apple quiver a little bit. "Papa, what are you not telling me?"

He whipped his head back around, looking wild-eyed at Maka. "I'm not hiding anything from you, and if you can't believe me when I tell you the forest is dangerous, then I don't want to have this conversation again. Ever!" Spirit slammed his fist down on the table to emphasize his point, causing Maka to jump a little from her chair.

Spirit squinted his eyes at her before leaving the kitchen area to go up the stairs to his room. Maka didn't want to let him win that easily. This was a discussion that needed to happen with someone who held some power in their government. There needed to be a change, or else nothing would improve and there would be anarchy with the other citizens. Today's protest was proof enough. Maka shoved her chair back and ran to the bottom of the staircase. She knew this was what she had to do to change her father's mind.

"I've been going into the forest for a week now and nothing has happened to me!" Her words stopped him his track, his foot hovering over the top step. Her heartbeat increased and she could feel her palms getting sweaty already. In all honesty, she wasn't fully ready for his reaction because it could range from anywhere.

Slowly, Spirit turned around to look at her, flushed faced and wide eyed. "What did you just say?"

She took a deep breath, puffed out her chest and lifted her chin up a bit. "I've been going into the forest every night for the last week. That's why I've been so tired during the day, but nothing has happened to me."

"You mean yet."

"Huh?"

"Nothing has happened to you yet." He slowly descended down the stairs, never once breaking their eye contact. However, when he spoke next his tone changed. There was a hint of worry mixed with calmness in it that wasn't present when they were speaking about the forest just a few minutes ago. "Have you seen anything in there?"

Maka was a bit taken aback by his question. She wasn't sure what she had expected, but it was not this. "I—I've only seen one other person. But he keeps me close to the edge so I haven't really seen much else."

"He?"

"Umm….yea?" She would rather her father yell at her instead of speaking to her like they were commenting on the weather.

"What's his name?"

"He said it was Soul Eater, but I think that's just a nickname he gave himself." Spirit stiffened at the mention of Soul's name.

"I don't want you going back in there, is that understood?"

"But why not?"

"Because I said so." Spirit was glaring down at her know.

"No! Not unless you tell me what is in there that's so dangerous!" It was her turn to glare at him. Spirit descended the stairs until he was face to face with her, and placed his hands firmly on her shoulders.

"I can't tell you anymore about the forest than I already have, but you need to trust me when I tell you that this boy is dangerous. He can hurt you."

Maka couldn't fully understand what her father meant by that. "He hasn't harmed me since I first met me and he has never shown any aggression either. He's more afraid of me than I am of him."

"He can turn on you, though, and the repercussions will be dangerous if that happens. He's the one you need to fear. Please, Maka don't go back in there."

She pushed Spirit away from her, and took a step back. "No. I trust him more than I trust you right now. Soul has actually given me more answers in the past week than you have in the last eighteen years! I know what I'm doing and you just need to trust me right now."

Maka left their home, slamming the door behind her. As she walked down the street, she heard Spirit shouting from the doorway to come back, but she ignored him. At one of the alleyways, she turned and broke out into a run. There was only one place she wanted to be right now, and with the setting sun casting a mixture of colors in the sky, that's where she went. She wanted to be with the one person who would understand how she was feeling, but when she arrived at their meeting place he wasn't there yet. Maka looked around her for any sign of him, able to see more of the forest now compared to before. When she didn't see him, she leaned against one of the trees, sliding down it to bring her knees to her chest, and tucked her head between her knees where she released the tears she didn't know she had been holding back.


	4. Phoenix

**The Phoenix**

"Maka?" She hadn't realized she fell asleep until she felt someone lightly shaking her. The first thing she saw was Soul's crimson eyes etched in concern. "Are you okay?"

Maka looked around, the sun had already set so the forest was pitch black. She rubbed her eyes with one hand and pushed herself off the tree with the other one. Soul held out his hand to catch her when she stumbled on one of her legs that had fallen asleep, and leaned on him as she tried to wake up her leg. Eventually she gave up and rested in his arms, feeling him stiffen at first at the new contact but then he relaxed by hugging her closer to him. Maka laid her head on his chest, feeling more at home here than she did in her own home, and they stayed like that for a while, neither one really wanting to break this new form of contact.

As they stood there, Maka could feel his chest slowly rising and falling with each breath he took as well as the body heat that was radiating off him. It felt nice on her exposed skin since it was a slightly chilly night. His heartbeat was faster than normal, but she dismissed it to him being uncomfortable with being this close to another person. She could also feel his pectoral muscles underneath the shirt he was wearing, which surprised her because Soul didn't seem like the athletic type. She enjoyed the feeling of touching him like this, and wanted to stay this way forever.

"Are you okay?" Soul asked again after about ten minutes. Maka looked up at him and could tell by his facial expression that she most likely looked like shit.

Maka closed her eyes and shook her head. "It's just…."

"Just what? You can tell me."

"Well, I had a really bad argument with my Papa, and I'm just really tired of everything…"

"What do you mean?"

"It's just this whole thing with the forest…and I kind of admitted to coming in here without anyone else knowing….and I'm just really tired of him trying to prevent me from doing what I want to do. I mean I am old enough to have a say, but he's still overprotective of me. I know he just doesn't want what happened to Mama to happen to me, but it gets old, you know? I should be able to make my own mistakes, right?"

"Yea that does makes sense. Maybe your father just hasn't realized that yet or he isn't ready to let you go."

"There is that, but he's just always been like this. I think it has to do more with the fact that he has seen the consequences first hand and I haven't. I just wish he would understand and stop hovering over me…..wait a minute." Maka pushed herself off Soul's chest, keeping arm's length from his chest, when realization washed over her. "I just admitted to breaking one of _the_ most important rules in Elmhurst….I am so dead. "

"But your dad is one of the higher ups, I'm sure they'll dismiss it and act like it never happened."

"No, you don't understand. I can get in so much trouble for this. I could be fired from my job and be forced to work one of the lowly jobs instead." Every possible situation flashed through Maka's mind and she didn't know which would be worse, being exiled or working on garbage duty.

"You're punishment won't be that bad. Come on, Maka. Just think this through for a minute. Your dad has more power in Elmhurst than a regular citizen. If you were anyone else's daughter, maybe you would be punished, but you aren't. The worse they'll do to you is most likely make you fret about it like you are now."

She looked back up at him. He did have a point. Spirit could persuade Shinigami and the rest of the people on the committee to let her actions slide as long as she promised not to do it again, or he wouldn't tell anyone, leaving her punishment up to him. The latter was the more reasonable consequence for her actions since Spirit would rather not let the public know his daughter was defying the government's rules.

"I guess you're right but how could you know that for sure? You aren't even _from_ Elmhurst."

Soul raised his hand to touch the back of his neck, and looked away from her, exposing his unnaturally sharp teeth as he did so. "Ehhh….I just have a really good feeling about it based on what you've told me."

Maka raised a quizzical eyebrow at him. "You don't really seem like the bright type when it comes to things like this though."

Soul's eyes widened and he leaned his head back. "At least I'm not the one who has tiny tits….at least if I were a girl I wouldn't."

Maka pushed him away from her and self-consciously wrapped her arms around her chest. "At least I'm not a jerk and a pervert. And remember I can take you on in a fight."

"Oh, I'm sure you can." Soul rolled his eyes and put his hands back in his pockets. "And if you really thought I was a jerk, you wouldn't be coming in here to see me. Same goes for the pervert bit. And you definitely wouldn't have been that close to me just now." Maka didn't want to admit it but he was right.

"Still doesn't give you the right to talk about my chest like that." Soul just chuckled in response receiving a glare from Maka.

"Admit it, you like it." Maka pouted and shook her head. "Really? Because your face is all red."

"No I'm not!" Her hands moved to hide her checks, but that only made it worse. She could feel the heat rising in her checks which made him laugh even more. But then he stopped, his face changing back to a neutral expression like when they had first met.

"There is something I've been meaning to talk to you about…"

Maka dropped her arms to her side and cocked her head to the side. "Hmm….What is it?"

"You need to get out of Elmhurst…it isn't safe there anymore."

She was taken aback by this. "Where exactly do you expect me to go? I can't just live in the forest. And what about the people I know there? I can't just leave them."

He hesitated with what he was going to say next, continuously opening and closing his mouth until he decided on the right thing to say. "I can't really elaborate much except that…your city is in grave danger right now. Those creatures I told you about? They're planning an ambush that could happen any day now."

"How do you know that for sure?"

He shook his head. "I can't go into more detail on that."

"Right….when you say creatures do you mean the ones I grew up hearing about or the ones that look like you?"

"Both."

"What do you mean both? It's either one or the other."

"I can't really go into detail about it. You just need to trust me."

"I can't do that, Soul. I do trust you, but I can't just leave Elmhurst like that. I have a sworn duty to them." She whispered. He had never told her that she was in danger before. It was the same thing her Papa had said about him and the forest. But whose judgment should she trust more? She had lived in Elmhurst all her life, and there had never been any sign of danger before. "I need more information. I need to warn the city if it really is going to happen."

Soul ran a hand through his hair and hissed out a breath of air. "All I can do is warn you, Maka. The rest is up to you. Just promise me that if anything does happen, you'll leave as soon as you can and meet me here." Maka nodded and Soul suppressed a sigh of relief. "Anyways, did you finish that book you were telling me about?"

His question made Maka's eyes lit up and her lips transform into one of the smiles he loved. "I did! It was really good. Can I tell you about it?" Soul nodded. "Great because some people don't like it when I do that. Okay so you remember how I told you the main character was…."

Soul had to be honest with himself, his feelings for Maka had grown stronger after the short time they spent together. But then again he always knew she liked her in a more romantic way, but it was never as apparent as it was now. His affections for her had nothing to do with the fact that she was the first person from Elmhurst who accepted him as he was and saw him as a human being. Maybe just a little bit, but not entirely. Maka saw Soul for who he really was and seemed to genuinely care about him. However, she still didn't know the secret he was keeping from her, but that was more him being self-conscious and worried about her reaction. He would tell her when the time called for it, but right now he just wanted to enjoy her company.

Soul enjoyed being around her. They were as opposite as the sun and moon, but somehow it worked out between them, enough to make him want something more with her. She was more open with showing her feelings and letting people know what she thought about something, if she opposed it or not. She saw the best in others, and strived to help them see that in themselves. She was more accepting of certain aspects of him, and didn't try to pry too much into his life. Soul was none of those things, but even so they complimented each other's personalities perfectly.

There was something about her that made him feel safe and he felt compelled to protect her from the real dangers that were out there. Yes, she was able to defend herself, he didn't doubt that in anyway, but she wasn't trained in combat against those who were different, those who were like him. Hell, she never experienced someone like Soul other than him and he always went out of his to make sure she was safe around him. He was able to control his power now compared to nine years ago, but there were those who still struggled with it. There were also those who would do anything to take back Elmhurst and take their revenge out on the people living there, which included Maka.

When they departed to go their separate ways, Soul stayed around like he usually did to make sure she made it safely outside of the forest before heading to his home. Lobelville was different from Elmhurst, it definitely did not have the same luxuries. There was no real order or leader of the town, everyone did as they pleased. Depending on how you saw it, that was either good or bad. Soul really had to learn to defend himself growing up here, and he was able to get by with the bare minimum, but it was not a great way of living. When he compared it to his old life, he would admit that he did miss having the luxury of safety to hold on to.

When he entered the streets of Lobelville, there was another gathering in the middle of the town being led by the ringleader, Medusa. This was a natural thing that had occurred each night for as long as he could remember, but it in the past week it was getting more serious. They were actually talking about raiding Elmhurst and taking what they believed was theirs.

"Elmhurst is our enemy! They are the ones who put us here! So what are we going to do about it?" Medusa shouted to the crowd that had gathered around her from the small stage they had set

"We need to take back what is ours and punish those who discriminated against us and never even gave us a chance to prove ourselves." The man standing next to Medusa, Free, said.

"That's right! We are going to attack them tonight, when they least expect it. We'll overrun those pathetic guards of theirs then we'll capture their governor and his lackey including their family! Who's with me?" the crowd cheered in agreement as Medusa, Free and another girl stepped down from the small stadium to join the others.

Soul wasn't planning to react to them in the past, but that changed when Medusa placed the Albarn family in danger. Fuck, he was in too deep with this girl. Maka was going to be the death of him.


	5. We Remain

**A/N: I had to change the genre from romance/adventure to romance/tragedy in case you didn't notice it because of reasons...**

**We Remain**

Spirit wasn't home when she came back close to midnight. Maka wasn't really worried about it because he was either out looking for her, with another woman or out at the bar, and it might have been a combination of the three. She didn't have time to really think about it, though, because when her head touched the pillow, she was gone from the world, she was so tired. It had been a very long day for her.

Maka was only asleep for an hour before she felt someone frantically shaking her. At first she had thought it was Soul again, but realized that was absurd as fast as the thought had crossed her mind. It turned out to be her father.

"Papa, what's wrong?" a groggy Maka asked through a yawn.

Spirit tossed her backpack that was on the side of the dresser to her. "Get up. Quickly. Pack that with some extra clothes and anything you need, including your rifle. We're leaving."

Her brain was still fuzzy from sleep, she wasn't completely sure she heard him correctly. "Leaving? Why?"

"I'll explain later. Just get your things together and come downstairs, okay?"

Maka nodded as Spirit left her bedroom, not waiting to make sure she responded. She sat on the edge of her bed and stretched her sore muscles that were yelling at her to go back to sleep. But the frantic look in her father's eyes told her he was serious when he said they were leaving. Things had taken a different turn in the last twenty-four hours, and she wasn't sure what exactly was going on. Whatever it was, Spirit's reaction told her it wasn't good. First Soul tells her Elmhurst isn't safe and now her father is saying they're leaving Elmhurst. Yet, neither one explained the circumstances further to her.

After she packed her bag and grabbed the rifle from its sitting position by her door, Maka went down the stairs to find Spirit hysterically pacing in the living room.

"Papa, are you alright?" He jumped when she spook and she could see he was different somehow when he turned to look at her. Something else had scared him.

"You have your backpack and rifle. Good. Let me just get a few more essentials and then we'll go."

She watched him in the kitchen, placing any perishable products he could in a duffle bag that she noticed already held some clothes for himself. Maka's anxiety and fear increased by the minute with his unnatural habits. She placed the rifle by the wall and dropped her backpack.

"Papa, what's going on? You're scaring me."

"We just need to leave town right now. It isn't safe."

"What do you mean?"

"There are some things I never told you and it was always for your own good. But now I think you should know that-"

Pounding at the door prevented Spirit from finished his sentence. The noise caused both of them to jump, and whip around to stare at the door. "Open up, Albarn! We know you're in there. We have a surprise for you that we've been waiting years to give you."

Spirit was shielding Maka before she had a chance to process what was going on. "Maka, you need to go without me. Now! There's not enough time to explain. Just leave the house and run as quickly as you can to the forest."

"But what about you?"

He looked at her and she could see the fear etched all over his face. "I'll be alright. It's you that I'm worried about right now."

Before Maka could answer, however, the back door burst open. When she saw who it was, her heart stopped and her eyes widened.

"Soul? What are you doing here?"

"I came to get you out of here. The people in my town were going to come and-" He stopped when he spotted Spirit standing behind her and his body stiffened. Maka turned around to look at her father and noted that the color had drained from his face.

"You need to get out of my house right now." Spirit's spoke with so much menace toward Soul it made her shiver.

When Soul answered, his voice had gone stony and defensive. "I just came to help your dau-"

"I don't care what you came to do. I want you out of my house! I've already told Maka she can't trust you and she isn't going anywhere with you. You're one of those freaks."

"You're one to talk. Wasn't it your family status that helped you stay in Elmhurst?"

"That is none of your business."

There was so much tension in the room you could cut with a knife. Maka had never seen Spirit nor Soul look so angry. She wasn't sure what the meaning behind their squabble was, but there was no time for it right now. The people were still pounding on the door and began threatening to force their way in.

"It doesn't matter. We just need to get out of here. You just told me you were more worried about my safety than yours, and Soul came to get me out of here, yet you're going to refuse his help? And you're going to stand here to argue with him? What good is that going to do? By the time you two come to your differences, those people will have come in by then and we'll probably be dead."

"But Maka it isn't safe to be-"

"No! Stop! I don't care! I do trust Soul and I need to go with him right now."

Spirit was crestfallen, but he still nodded in agreement. "I'll distract them while you get out of here." His smile was weak, but she could still feel his affection for her through his eyes. "Now go."

Spirit pushed Maka toward Soul, who wrapped his hand around her wrist and pulled her toward the back door. Before she left the house completely, Maka looked back at her father and what she saw astonished her, black blades had appeared from his arms. She never believed Spirit to be anything more than an ordinary man, but this changed everything.

She didn't really have time to process what she saw exactly when they exited her home because it wasn't just the Albarn residence that was being raided by strangers. The homes that surrounded hers were being burned down, and the people in them dragged out to either be killed or forced to follow one of the outsiders. The whole city was in chaos. People were running into her and Soul as they travelled in the opposite direction of the crowd.

Soul stopped and turned to speak to Maka. "What's the closest way to get to the forest from here?"

"There's an alleyway up ahead that I by the pharmacy. I usually go that way and just follow the other alleys across from it."

"It isn't far from here right?"

"No. It's just a few feet ahead."

Soul nodded and pulled her back in the direction they were going before. When he spotted the pharmacy she told him, he let go of her wrist to push through the crowd. Maka held on to the hem of his shirt, and glanced at the panicked faces around them. There was no order in events like this. Things like this just never happened in Elmhurst before, so there was no plan of evacuation when it did happen. If there had been more time, Maka would have asked Spirit why none of the government officials had thought about this beforehand. There should have been an 'in case of emergency' plan since anything could have happened to their peaceful town. Once they entered the alley, Soul and Maka were finally able to catch their breath.

"Soul, what is going on?" Maka spoke through her pants for breath. "Who are those people?"

"I don't really have time to explain here. We need to get you out of here and to Lobelville before any of them find us. I'll explain everything there. I promise." He pushed off the wall he was leaning on and grabbed her hand. "Come on."

Soul's gesture startled Maka, her stomach lurched at the contact, but she didn't refuse it nonetheless. His hand was warm in comparison to hers and wasn't sweaty either like hers is. Under normal circumstances, she would have stopped the contact because of how embarrassing sweaty palms are, but right now this is what she wanted. Their relationship wasn't more than it was now, but the contact still brought solace to her. She felt her abdomen begin to get tingly, and she had the feeling this is where her hand belonged, intertwined with his. But her more rational side knew that this was most likely as far as they would go in their relationship.

"Hey! I think I found the Albarn girl!" Soul and Maka turned around to see a tall man dressed in black from head to toe at the end of the alley way.

"Shit. Come on, Maka. We need to run. Now!" Soul started jogging backwards, waiting for Maka to react to his words, their hands not coming undone. She began to meet his pace before he turned around completely and broke out into a stronger run. "Wait you two! Freeze!"

What happened next surprised Maka. Soul reacted immediately to the man's words, turning around to push her into a section of the wall that curved in. The impact of her back to the wall was so intense, pain shooting down her spinal cord, she knew there was going to be a bruise there later on. He pinned her to the wall, his body shielding her from the blast of ice that came whirling from the direction of the man at the end of the alley.

"When I tell you to run, you fucking run. Okay?" Soul's breath was warm on her check and his breath tickled her ear, but even though heat began to rise to her cheeks and her voice caught in her throat, she was still able to nod and let out a weak 'okay'. "Stay close to me…okay…..run."

Maka followed Soul back down the alley, not bothering to look back at the man from before. She did note, however, the walls of the alley were covered in what appeared to be ice. She couldn't inspect it properly at that time, but she was positive if she were able to feel it, it would be cold to the touch. Soul entered the street when the alley ended, heading toward a different one. The man wasn't far behind them, and they both increased their speed. Maka felt like she was travelling through a maze with each twist and turn they made. She was grateful that she had undergone all that training for the guards because it gave her an impeccable stamina. If she were any other person, they would have collapsed by now with all the running she was doing. It also helped that she was on a slight adrenaline rush from the events in the alley before.

Soul made another turn, but hit someone else in a head long collision. He threw out his arm to stop Maka, a heavy blow to the stomach after running so quickly, and stood in a fighting stance. But Maka placed her hands on him to prevent him from doing anything when she recognized the person.

"Black*Star? What are you doing?"

"Sid told me to leave the house when those people came so I did. Where are you heading?"

"We're going to the forest, to a town called Lobelville. That's where Soul is from."

"And who the fuck are you exactly?" Star addressed to Soul. "I've never seen you here and I know everyone!"

"Star, we don't time for introductions. You just need to trust him for now. There's a man following us and we need to go! Now!"

Soul pushed pass Black*Star and Maka grabbed his arm so he could follow them. They weren't far from the forest's edge, and continued running even when they were safely behind the barrier of trees. Once the three of them were far enough, Soul stopped initiating Maka and Star to mimic his actions. Maka leaned against one of the tree trunks so she could catch her breath for the second time that night. Her previously perfect world had come crumbling down in less than two hours, and she wasn't sure what was waiting for in the future.

"So where the hell is this town again?" Star asked Soul once he was able to breathe properly again.

"It's just in that direction." Soul pointed toward a fixed point beyond bundles of trees. Somewhere in the darkness, was the secret town of Lobelville that Maka had never heard of before tonight. "It isn't that far from where we are now. I'll lead you to it."


End file.
